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A non-profit publication of the Office of the University Relations of Virginia Tech,
including The Conductor, a special section of the Spectrum printed 4 times a year

David Larsen

By Sally Harris

Spectrum Volume 17 Issue 27 - April 6, 1995

Virginia Tech has awarded one of its first two University Public Service
Excellence Awards to David G. Larsen, instructor of chemical instrumentation in
the Department of Chemistry, "for his accomplishments and selfless dedication
in developing programs in technical continuing education, both domestically and
abroad, and his helping other faculty members to pursue similar outreach
activities."

Larsen, who teaches popular courses in electronics for scientists, began his
outreach activities in 1971 by teaching the first of several hundred
continuing-education short courses and presentations in automated
instrumentation. He received one of the five 1978 faculty service awards from
the National Extension Association.

Co-author of a popular series of continuing-education books and teacher of
automated instrumentation courses to many industrial, educational, and
professional groups, Larsen is noted particularly for his international
continuing-education programs, begun in the 1970s with 16 workshops in
Switzerland and Italy and often accomplished with his own personal funds. In
1990, according to chemistry department head Richard Gandour, "he broke a
geo-political barrier to teach continuing-education programs in Russia and
Ukraine."

Larsen has continued for the past four years to travel in the former Soviet
Union and teach workshops that give Virginia Tech continuing-education units,
"possibly the first issued by an American university in the USSR," Gandour
said.

Exchange programs with former Soviet schools have resulted in 15 exchange
visits to or from countries in the former Soviet Union, visits back and forth
by 48 people, and creation of a professional video, "Virginia Tech in the
Former Soviet Union." Also, Larsen has negotiated memorandums of understanding
between Virginia Tech and seven universities in Russia, Ukraine, and Lithuania,
resulting in faculty visits to Virginia Tech from four of the institutuions.

Larsen has also done outreach work in Bangladesh and Guyana.

Praise for Larsen's work comes from across campus: "Mr. Larsen has
consistently throughout the years epitomized model service in outreach by a
faculty member," said Linda Leffel of continuing education. "David is probably
this university's premier advocate for the transfer of information technology
to developing nations," said Earving Blythe, vice president for information
systems. "I...can think of no one who has been so selfless and successful as
David Larsen in working on such projects," said James Littlefield, professor of
marketing.

"I think it's important that universities do some outreach globally," Larsen
said, "because we're now not an isolated nation because of such things as the
Information Super Highway. Events that happen around the world affect us and we
can influence those events by sharing our educational ideas and ideas in
research around the world. It's important because events in virtually every
country come back to affect our university and country."